Lamb with Pistachio & Feta, Roasted Squash Puree & Maltese White Bean Salad
From Ainsley’s Taste of Malta – ITV
Maltese style, this dish is a combination of Mediterranean, North African and Arabic flavours. Arabic roots are found in many ingredients in Maltese dishes, something they share with their neighbour Sicily. Vibrant mint and tangy citrus are combined with the warm spice of cumin (the Maltese island of Comino is named after the cumin seed) and the pistachio and salty feta work beautifully with the chargrilled lamb and sweet squash. White bean salad is a popular accompaniment or side dish in Malta and it’s full of texture and flavour. The Maltese love garlic and usually use plenty of it raw in their salad, but I’ve roasted mine for a milder flavour.
Method
Put the olive oil, cumin seeds, lemon juice and zest and honey in a large shallow dish and mix together. Add the lamb and toss to coat well. Cover and leave to marinate while you prepare the squash.
Preheat the oven to 220c/200cfan/Gas 7
Put the squash halves on a baking tray cut-side up. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic in foil and add to the tray. Roast for 20 minutes then remove the garlic from the oven. Continue to roast the squash for another 20-30 minutes until tender.
Make the bean salad: squeeze 2 cloves of the roasted garlic from its skin and finely chop/mash. Put in a small bowl along with the olive oil, vinegar and lemon zest for the dressing. Whisk together and season. In a large bowl toss together the other salad ingredients and pour over the dressing. Cover and set aside for the flavours to infuse.
Remove the squash from the oven and when cool enough to handle use a spoon to remove the flesh and put it into a saucepan. Squeeze the remaining roasted garlic from its skin into the pan with the squash. Add the butter (or a drizzle of olive oil), the cinnamon and a good grating of nutmeg. Use a potato masher or hand blender to mash/puree the squash until smooth or leave texture if you prefer. Check for seasoning, cover and keep warm.
Put the pistachios, garlic, chilli flakes, lemon zest, herbs and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add the lemon juice and pulse once to combine. Drizzle in the oil with the blender running until you reach the desired consistency – you’re looking for a wet, coarse salsa texture. Check seasoning and add more lemon juice and seasoning if desired.
Remove the lamb from the marinade and season well with salt and pepper. Heat a griddle pan (or BBQ) over a medium-high heat and sear the lamb on each side for 1-2 minutes. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes on each side (depending on the size of your lamb steaks) or until nicely browned and cooked to your liking. Remove from the pan, cover and leave to rest for 4-5 minutes. Warm the squash through if needed.
To serve, spoon some squash onto serving plates. Top with the lamb, drizzle with the pistachio and crumble over the feta. Serve the white bean salad on the side.
Ingredients
- 40g shelled unsalted pistachio nuts, lightly toasted
- 1 small clove of garlic, peeled, bashed
- pinch of dried chilli flakes
- ½ lemon, zest and juice
- 20g bunch of mint, leaves picked
- 10g bunch of flat-leaf parsley, large stems removed
- 5-6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, more if needed
- 60g feta, crumbled
- For the Lamb
- 4 lamb steaks or chops (or 8 cutlets)
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 2 tsp cumin seeds, lightly bashed
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp honey
- For the Squash
- 1 large butternut squash or small pumpkin, deseeded, cut in half
- 6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
- 1 tbsp butter
- small pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 nutmeg, for grating
- For the White Bean Salad
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- zest of ½ lemon
- 2 x 400g tins of butter or cannellini beans (or a mix), rinsed and drained
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- small bunch (25g) of parsley, large stems removed, roughly chopped